Fabricated wooden I-beams each comprising a pair of wooden flanges and web members having longitudinal edges received in grooves of the flanges are becoming increasingly popular due to the rising costs of sawn lumber and the scarcity of good quality wood capable of producing beams of large size. The fabricated wooden I-beams require less wood and also reduces the costs of transportation due to their lower weight. Wooden I-beams of this type have been disclosed extensively in the prior art with exemplary patents being U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,490,188, 4,074,498, 4,191,000, 4,195,462, 4,249,355, 4,336,678, 4,356,045, 4,413,459, 4,456,497 and 4,458,465.
Prior known procedures for forming fabricated wooden I-beams by gluing the members together have generally entailed the use of various sub-assemblies in which a series of webs are driven along a web conveyor line in either spaced or end-to-end abutting relationship, with a pair of grooved chords or flanges driven along opposite sides of the web conveyor. The flanges are driven with their grooves facing the webs and are gradually converged towards the conveyed webs so that the longitudinal web edges, usually pre-glued, enter the grooves to form an interconnecting glued joint therebetween.
In most prior art arrangements of which I am aware, the webs are typically conveyed into the upstream end of the assembly machine after being cut off the line into uniform lengths and widths. A lugged conveyor engages the trailing widthwise edge of each web to propel same into the assembly machine. Such an arrangement impedes the use of random length webs since adjustment of the web delivery and run-up infeed location in relation to the lugged infeed conveyor is necessary, requiring disruption in production and loss of production efficiency.
It is accordingly one object of the present invention to continuously deliver webs of constant or random length into a web infeed location of an assembly machine.
Another object of the invention is to deliver random length webs into the machine without requiring adjustments in the web feeder.
Another object of the invention is to deliver webs into the assembly machine by engaging a lengthwise edge of the web and propelling same into a web infeed location onto a series of web infeed driven rolls.
The chord or flange members are cut to desired lengths and widths by known sub-assemblies typically employed off the line. The chords are then conveyed into left and right hand infeed sides of the assembly machine for conveyance therethrough into converging contact with the web longitudinal edges. In the case where the flanges are pre-grooved off-line, it is necessary to ensure that the flanges are properly oriented into the assembly machine with the pre-grooved flange surfaces facing inwardly to ultimately engage the web lengthwise edges. Manual surveillance and intervention is often necessary to ensure proper orientation of the flange grooves entering the assembly machine.
Another object of the invention is to provide flange feeder apparatus for delivering grooved flanges into left and right hand infeed sides of the assembly machine with the flange grooves properly oriented to face inwardly.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a flange feeder which enables automatic positioning of grooved and ungrooved flanges into the left and right hand infeed sides of the assembly machine without manual intervention.
In various prior art arrangements of which I am aware, the web members are conveyed through the assembly machine along a horizontal plane by means of a web drive engaging upward facing surfaces of the web. This overhead web drive introduces clutter and prevents easy overhead access to the web and flange members to alleviate problems which may occur during the assembly process. Such overhead web drives also make it difficult to easily and quickly adjust the flange run-up and the web drive to manufacture I-beams of different height and width.
Another object of the invention is to drive the web members through the assembly machine with a bottom drive arrangement located below the webs for improved overhead access.
Still another object is to provide a web bottom drive which is easily adjustable to accommodate webs of different width to manufacture wooden I-beams of correspondingly different height.
After the webs are joined to the chords by converging the chords towards the webs so that the web lengthwise edges enter the flange grooves, the resulting I-beam is conveyed from the assembly machine where it is cut to desired length using known cutting means. Thereafter, the cut I-beams are conveyed to downstream, off-line inspection and bundling stations where they can be packaged for shipment. To provide the glued joints with sufficient curing time, it is customary in the industry to convey the cut I-beams along a long lateral conveyor before the beams are packaged for shipment. Such a conveyor occupies considerable floor space depending upon the minimum cure dwell time conditions that must be satisfied before bundling and shipment occurs.
Yet another object is to minimize curing floor space by conveying the cut I-beams into a vertically extending curing tower in which the beams are disposed for a minimum cure dwell period before being bundled and shipped.